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3/22/2006
EAR PLUGS
I've had a stack of CD's on the To Do stack for a couple of weeks - not
coincidentally, since about the time I started my Loafing efforts. Since the
Loafing is actually paying me for my efforts, and I only have so much spare
time, you, loyal subscribers, are getting sad leftovers these days. So fire up
the microwave for some scraps!
I got a CD from Wrinkle Neck Mules, Pull the Brake, from local label Shut Eye
Records. I have no patience with 90% of stuff in the Americana vein. It's just a
matter of taste. I find this sound lifeless and monotonous and often the subject
matter is too matter-of-fact for me. I either need more testosterone, a la
AC/DC, or more imagination, a la Hope for a Golden Summer, in my music.
Wrinkle Neck Mules' CD is a well put together, perfectly clear recording of
mostly acoustic music that ranges from slightly more bluegrassy tunes to
slightly more electric moments to slightly more country sounds. It's very much
like The Gourds from Austin, TX, particularly in the slightly exaggerated
southern accent vocal stylings. They know how to play, sing, and harmonize. It's
a fine Americana CD. Degenerate SW loves this kind of stuff so I'll give it to
her and you can ask her what she thinks if you're interested, or check out
www.wrinkleneckmules.com
We got the CD, You have no idea!, from local act What The…? It's got fuzzy
guitars, uptempo beats, and an obvious 60's garage influence. This probably took
a lot less work to put together than the Wrinkle Neck Mules, but for me
sometimes simpler is better. It's not great, but it doesn't make me want to go
to sleep. Rather than a pause between tracks, many tunes on You have no idea!
transition directly from one song to the next, which provides a party-like
continuous groove. There is some skilled guitar work here, and a nice use of
horns and piano from time to time, but there's some spark missing here that I
can't put my finger on. It's just a bit… limp. See what they have to say at
www.what-the.com
BLASPHEMY
I stopped reading Stomp & Stammer a few months back. Basically I got tired of
getting pissed off. Sure, they have (or had) nice local music listings and news,
and if Jeff Clark liked something I’d probably like it too. If he really hated
something and went on and on about how much he hated it, I probably liked
whatever that was as well, so I got something out of it. But the right
wing/libertarian rants pissed me off so much that eventually I decided I didn’t
have to read something that gave me more annoyance than pleasure. So I stopped
reading it entirely and life has been good.
In a subject that seems unrelated but will tie in shortly, I have made it a
point to stay out of the local scene’s drama. I’ve got a few very good friends I
care about deeply. Then there are a bunch of folks that I like, but don’t get
too close to.
Homer: Hey, Barney! Soul mate! Let me buy you a beer.
Barney: Okay, but I'm not your soul mate. I'm really more of a chum.
Homer: Well, what about you, Lenny?
Lenny: I'm a crony.
Homer: Carl?
Carl: I'd say acquaintance.
[pans to others]
Larry: Colleague.
Sam: Sympathizer.
Bumblebee Man: Compadre.
Kearney: Associate.
Dr. Hibbert: Contemporary.
Moe: I'm a well-wisher, in that I don't wish you any specific harm.
From The Simpsons
I like the nightlife, I gots to boogie, but I also like having a stable job that
requires relatively little effort for the money. Unfortunately, this involves
getting up at a reasonable hour 5 days a week. Having more and/or closer friends
who are creatures of the night, with the music they make, would be challenging
at best.
So lately I’ve heard rumors of (yet another) Stomp and Stammer/Star Bar flame
war. You haven’t read anything about it in this publication because A, I didn’t
know (see above), B, didn’t care to know (see above) and C, I haven ’t had to
pick sides because I’m not that close to anyone involved (see
above.)
But being made accidentally aware of this situation has inspired me to write
something I’ve mentioned in passing many times but I want to reiterate in
detail.
I don’t write any review, positive or negative, of any creative effort based on
my personal feelings toward the individual(s) involved. I review things based on
their own merits, not the merits of their creators. This goes for bands, venues,
visual arts, movies, festivals – anything. It’s not that I don’t care who you
are as a person (I don’t.) It’s that I have enough drama in my personal life and
I don’t need to go out there and seek or create more.
So you can be as nice to me as you want, but if your creation still sucks donkey
dick I won’t hesitate to write about it. You can be a complete an utter ass and
I’ll do my best to let it slide and give your work an honest review. I don’t
care what color you are, how much or little money you make, who you know, who
your friends are, who your enemies are, or even what your goals are in your
efforts. I don’t want the backstory, just show me the work and let it speak for
itself.
Sure, part of this probably comes from some deep-rooted fear of intimacy, but
part of this comes from my experience in years of this publication and in my
training in art school. I know how to give an honest critique.
So if you’re looking for petty personal disputes, watch some reality TV, pay
more attention to bar patrons and management, or check out other local
publications. I’m not saying we’re better than that (yes, I am), just different.
Since you’re basically getting sloppy seconds after the Loafing here’s some
filler. I'm a big fan of Dan Savage's column. It is equally entertaining and
informative. This week it's less entertaining than an informative call to
action:
Straight Rights Update: Earlier this month, Republicans in South Dakota
successfully banned abortion in that state. Last week, the GOP-controlled state
house of representatives in Missouri voted to ban state-funded family-planning
clinics from dispensing birth control. "If you hand out contraception to single
women," one Republican state rep told the Kansas City Star, "we're saying
promiscuity is okay." On the federal level, Republicans are blocking the
over-the-counter sale of emergency contraception and keeping a 100 percent
effective HPV vaccine—a vaccine that will save the lives of thousands of women
every year—from being made available.
The GOP's message to straight Americans: If you have sex, we want it to fuck up
your lives as much as possible. No birth control, no emergency contraception, no
abortion services, no life-saving vaccines. If you get pregnant, tough shit.
You're going to have those babies, ladies, and you're going to make those
child-support payments, gentlemen. And if you get HPV and it leads to cervical
cancer, well, that's too bad. Have a nice funeral, slut.
What's it going to take to get a straight-rights movement off the ground?
The GOP in Kansas is seeking to criminalize hetero heavy petting, for God's
sake! Wake up and smell the freaking Holy War, breeders! The religious right
hates heterosexuality just as much as it hates homosexuality. Fight back!
www.avclub.com/content/node/46583
Oh, and speaking of the Loafing, run to your news stand and get the latest, or
just click this:
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A39668
Also notice on in the left column "More Frederick Noble." I suspect this is
automatically generated 'cause there's stuff on there I barely remember writing,
it was so long ago. Crap, I thought the Degenerate Press archives were out of
date!
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